Cat only poops if litter is brand new

[Goldfish]

I have the loveliest little cat. She’s 9 years old and I adopted her from cat rescue two weeks ago. Her previous owner died and she is seems used to being in a home - she’s very well-behaved and likes to sit on the arm of the sofa next to me when I’m watching TV. She always uses the litter tray for both pee and poop. However, I noticed that she only pooped very infrequently (every few days).

Eventually I realised she will only poop when the litter is brand new. I clean the solids out right away when she does poop, and she pees regularly in the tray, but she will not poop unless the litter is fresh out of the pack. She’s the only cat (and only animal) so it’s not that another cat has marked the litter tray.

I’ve tried two types of litter in trays in different locations - one is the wood pellet type and one is chalky - and increased and decreased the volume of litter. I don’t use a tray liner. But she still only poops if the litter is brand new. She doesn’t poop at all if the litter isn’t new - she just holds it in (this happened before I realised what was happening). Obviously this isn’t good for her, and now that I know the problem, I can change the litter every day. However, is there any way to encourage her to poop in litter she’s used before (which has been scooped)? I’m conscious of the environmental aspects of throwing a whole tray of litter out every day, as well as the cost.

I've searched online and found lots of advice if cats poop in the wrong places, but nothing about cats that only poop with brand new litter.

[booktigger]

Have you tried 2 litter trays? The only other thing would be to use very little litter so you aren't throwing too much away

[Alice]

I'd try adding a layer of fresh litter on top of the original litter, so that it smells fresh to her. When I've taken anything out of the trays here I always sprinkle some more on, hoping to make it smell more appealing.

[lilynmitz]

Try using a clumping litter, such as Cats Best or Worlds Best. That way you can easily scoop out the clumped wee leaving the rest fairly fresh and fragrant ready for a poo, and they're dead easy to clean out. If you have it deep enough, the wee doesn't even reach the bottom of the tray, but if it does, I just give the soiled bit of the tray a quick wipe with Clean & Safe (from good pet stores) on a bit of kitchen towel, then a full clean out every 2 or 3 weeks, so it's quite economic. I find these are easier to clean than clay clumping litters.